Flanders (brabant), Late 15th-early 16th Century - Saint Anne. Oak Statue, Circa 1500

FLANDERS, end of the 15th - first quarter of the 16th century - SAINTE-ANNE. Oak wood statue carved in the round, circa 1490-1520. Probably Brabantine work, to be compared with the sculptural works executed in this material and essence between 1460-1530 by one of the most famous and important Workshops of the late Gothic Middle Ages and early Dutch Renaissance: the BORMAN Workshop, notably that of Jan BORMAN II, active in Brussels from 1490 to 1520. Represented standing, princely dressed in a loose cloak of thick cloth placed on her shoulders revealing, open, a dress with a square neckline highlighted with a braid, preciously styled with a ribboned bead interlaced with pearls from which escape, undulating, long locks of hair framing her beautiful oval face with small and delicate features, Saint Anne holds, in one hand, a Book carried near her left hip. In a gesture filled with gentle majesty, she displayed on the other, emerging from one of the sides of her cloak brought back to the front of her bust with its blossoming curve, held between her slender fingers, a Fleur-de-Lys stem (disappeared), - second attribute, according to religious iconographic tradition, linked to the representation of the Mother of the Virgin Mary. Despite this lack, this sculptural work, with its reverse side furrowed with the graphic undulations of the Saint's long hair and animated by folds with a fluid design, stands out for its harmonious plasticity, its serious elegance tinged with a certain preciousness. A fine example of the sculptural art of Flanders from the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries, this statue of Saint Anne, of a refined execution suggesting a Brabant origin, must, given its dimensions, have adorned the gallery of a Jubé seated in a liturgical place or been placed in a private devotional oratory. _THE GRACES OF FLEMISH ART- If, in the absence of its original provenance and its history, we cannot support a certain attribution of this statue depicting Saint Anne standing to the Brabant Workshop of Jan Borman II, it should be noted that it presents notable stylistic affinities with the sculptural creations to date recorded of Virgins, Holy Helpers produced by this eminent Master representative of Flemish art from the end of the Gothic period - beginning of the 16th century Renaissance and of his active circle. In addition to its remarkable finesse of execution, our work as we have described it above, presents, like its sisters, a slender silhouette with harmonious proportions underpinned by a slight contrapposto. Noticeably leaning forward, carried on a long, fleshy neck, the head of the Saint, framed by long locks of hair with a distinctive serpentine design, offers, crowned by a jeweled headband with a central fleuron - another recurring motif - a face with a characteristic morphology and delicate features: gently oval in shape, it is individualized by a high, rounded forehead, almond-shaped eyes edged with eyelids with a marked design, a tapered nose and, surmounting a small chin hollowed out by a dimple, a small mouth sketching from the corner of their thin lips a smile that is both courteous and benevolent. No less specific is the treatment of the draperies with their ample, uninterrupted movement, playing on the clever graphic contrast established between the "apron" and "tubular" folds of the sides of the coat brought back to the front of the figure's bust and those of her dress covering the base of the statue. Once the close aesthetic similarities linking our Sainte-Anne to the established corpus (Cf. (Debaene, Marjan ed., Borman: a family of Northern Renaissance sculptors, .Museum Leuven 2019) of sculptural creations of the prolific and renowned Brabançon workshop of the Bormans have been stated, it remains a work imbued with a gentle and serene beauty. As such, it will not fail to arouse the interest of the Amateur in love with Haute-Epoque Art as well as that of the Decorator in search of authenticity. Materials: Oak wood Dimensions: H.: 84 cm - W.: 33 cm; - D.: 22 cm. Flanders (Southern Netherlands), Mosan or Brabant work from the end of the 15th-beginning of the 16th century, to be compared with the creations of the Brabançon sculpture workshop of the Bormans. Around 1490-1520 Good condition - Missing element (stalked fleur-de-lis, one of the attributes of Saint Anne). Wear to the skin and minor surface damage.